


Friends on the Other Side

by CuddlyStarfish



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29047902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuddlyStarfish/pseuds/CuddlyStarfish
Summary: Post Season 1 where Nick is possessed by Caleb and the rest of the crew realizes that something weird is going on. To figure it out, they enlist the help of Nick’s on and off girlfriend, Carrie.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33





	1. Julie

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a tumblr post by @unholyobsessions with ideas and headcanons from some of my friends. I don’t know how long this is going to be but it’s been fun so far.

Julie didn’t usually watch lacrosse. She preferred staying at home, writing music with Luke or messing around with Flynn and the boys. Unfortunately, Flynn was worried about Julie getting her heart broken by a ghost, even though they could touch now. Sometimes. Honestly, it was a bit random when they could and couldn’t touch. It seemed to be affected by their emotions. If tension was high or they felt like they were on top of the world, Julie could touch the boys. Any other time, she just went right through,  
Flynn had a point—Luke was still a ghost—but Julie didn’t understand how going to Nick’s lacrosse game would help. She had gotten over her crush on Nick and she had told Flynn so. She had even turned Nick down. She didn’t want to send mixed signals and accidentally lead him on! It wasn’t fair to either of them for her act as though she had a crush on him when she didn’t.  
Around her, the bleachers exploded with cheers. That was probably good.  
“Has Nick been acting weird around you recently?” Julie asked Flynn, who sat beside her on the bleachers.  
“Yeah, actually, but it’s probably because he likes you and he knows we’re close. He’s trying not to mess things up.”  
“He came to see me and the boys perform at the Orpheum.”  
“Dang!” Flynn cried, “That’s not cheap, especially so last minute! How did he pull that off?”  
“I’m not sure, honestly, but I know he brought me flowers after. He didn’t say much. He just gave me the flowers and left. And he’s gotten so much better in dance. He barely looks at me but he’s good. A bit more jazzy, but good. It’s kinda freaking me out.”  
Flynn nodded. “It is a bit weird. Maybe he’s been practicing. He must really be into you if he’s willing to do that. You are under no obligation to like him back, though, you know. If you need him to stop, I can make that happen. I’m by your side.”  
“So you mean you’ll stop pestering me about going to his games and inviting him to things?”  
The crowd booed.  
“I never said anything of the sort,” Flynn said, and booed along. Julie shook her head.  
Julie tried to focus on the game, but she didn’t understand a single thing that was going on out on the field. The crowd started cheering as one of the Los Feliz boys got control of the ball. Her eyes followed the action, and she started to notice—  
“Flynn, do you see that? I can’t be the only one who sees that.”  
“See… oh. Is he… floating?”  
“I think so. And there’s no way he got there that fast. He must have—” She wanted to say poofed over there, like how her boys got around, but that was impossible. None of the boys on the lacrosse team were ghosts. Of course they weren’t. Even if Julie could see him, Flynn wouldn’t have noticed.  
Julie looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the strangeness on the field. No one had, except—  
“Carrie alert,” she whispered to Flynn. Carrie was looking around with the same confused look as the girls. When Carrie locked eyes with Julie, she glared for a moment and looked away, tossing her hair. Had she noticed or not?  
Julie watched Carrie stand up and make her way to the front of the bleachers, moving everyone else out of her way through sheer presence. Julie tapped Flynn’s arm and followed, as casually as she could.  
They reached the railing a few feet away from Carrie just as a buzzer sounded. The noise from the bleachers tripled as the game ended—a Los Feliz High School win. On the field, floaty-boy removed his helmet, revealing… Nick?  
Julie didn’t know the rules of lacrosse, but she did know the law of gravity, and she was pretty sure Nick’s feet hadn’t been on the ground for a solid minute. That definitely broke the law.  
Nick’s team lifted him up, cheering. He grinned at the crowd.  
“I hate to say it, but you two looked like the only ones paying attention, so—” Julie and Flynn turned to realize that Carrie was talking to them. “—you girls saw what I just saw, right?”  
“What… did you see?” Julie asked. She was a terrible liar, and even if she hadn’t been, Carrie had been her friend for years. They used to be able to read each other like open books. If she lied, Carrie would know. She had to choose her words carefully, especially surrounded by a crowd.  
“Nick. He was…” Carrie dropped her voice to a whisper and finished, “floating.”  
Julie laughed awkwardly. In a voice that fooled no one, she said, “What? Floating? That’s impossible.”  
Carrie crossed her arms over her chest and looked directly at Flynn. “We both know she’s lying, so why don’t you tell me the truth? What’s going on and what do you two know about it?”  
“Not much,” Flynn admitted. “We just noticed that something weird was going on, the same thing you saw. I thought you would know. You know him, don’t you? I mean, you guys have been dating on and off for a while.”  
“I’d say the only people who know him better than I do are the boys on his team,” Carrie agreed, “but I still don’t know what’s going on. He’s been getting worse at lacrosse. There’s the rumor going around school that he’s going to get kicked off the team if his performance stays this bad. At least this game will help that, but… I’m not going crazy, am I?”  
Julie shook her head and looked out at the field again. It was too loud. Whatever was going on with Nick had something to do with ghosts, which meant she had to ask her boys. Maybe Alex could ask his ghost boyfriend for information. But how was she supposed to explain that to Carrie? She wasn’t nice, but she and Nick had been dating almost since Julie and Carrie had become rivals. She had a right to know what was going on. Plus, like she said, she knew Nick pretty well. Maybe, if Julie played her cards right, Carrie could help them.  
Julie took a deep breath. This was going to backfire so horribly. “You’re not going crazy. Trust me. I know the feeling. I… there’s something we… I need to show you. And if I tell you here, you’re going to think I’m crazy.”  
“What?”  
“Jules, you’re not actually going to—”  
“Meet me at my house in an hour, in my mom’s old studio. I’ll tell you everything I can. And don’t tell anyone what you saw until we know more, not even your dad. Deal?”  
Carrie eyed her suspiciously, her arms crossed, then gave a dramatic sigh and said, “Deal. And, Julie? I’ll know if you’re lying to me. See you in an hour, girls.”  
Carrie spun on her heel and walked away with the haughty grace of a princess in her own castle. Julie turned to Flynn.  
“Please tell me I’m not making a terrible mistake.”


	2. Carrie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrie learns about the boys

Flynn and Julie were acting weirder than usual, which was saying a lot. She used to enjoy their weirdness, but she was getting worried. Nick was acting weird too. He completely shut Carrie out since their last break up. He was going out of his way to avoid her.  
Okay, maybe he had a point. They had broken up. But they had been friends, hadn’t they? Even his skill set had shifted. He was worse at lacrosse but better at dance. Was that because of her, somehow? Had she been holding him back?  
Carrie rang Julie’s doorbell and waited. She could hear gentle playing coming from the garage. It opened a minute later, but it was Julie’s dad, not Julie herself, who opened the door.  
“Carrie?”  
“It is so nice to see you again, Mr. Molina. Is Julie here? I have a question for her.” If Julie was hoping to make a fool out of Carrie, it wasn’t going to work.  
“She’s in the garage, practicing. It’s nice to see you, Carrie. Do you remember the way?”  
“Of course, I do. So many happy memories out there,” Carrie smiled, a bit more genuine than her smile had originally been.   
Back when she and Julie were close, Carrie used to hang out at the Molina’s house all the time. She would sit with Mrs. Molina and Julie and learn to sing some songs that Mrs. Molina had loved when she was their age. They would blast music and dance and have fun. There had been a point where Carrie had visited the house so often that they had started setting the table for five instead of four, in case she wanted to stay for dinner. She loved her dad and their house, but she had the most fun when the two of them were at the Molina’s, talking about music until Mr. Molina decided they all needed to go on voice rest.  
Of course, that had been before everything…   
Carrie pulled open the garage doors and froze.  
Julie was singing at the top of her lungs that song that she had sung at the pep rally when she had upstaged Carrie. The boys in her band watched Julie as though the universe revolved around her. Jealousy pricked Carrie, but she refused to let it overtake her. She had seen how devoted these boys were—especially the one that never seemed to wear sleeves—four times now. Flynn and Carlos were dancing, paying her no attention.  
Usually, Carrie would be upset, but she reminded herself that this was good. She finally had a chance to see what it was that made those holograms tick! She had known something was up with them, but now she had the chance to see what. She had been looking up videos on holograms on YouTube, and Julie’s holograms didn’t seem to follow most of the rules she had found. There was no way her little “hologram projector” was advanced enough for them the holograms to be so lifelike.  
But after looking everywhere she could think, Carrie still hadn’t found the hologram equipment. Someone cleared their throat.  
Carrie looked over at the sleeveless boy, who was pointing to her. Julie turned around and smiled.  
“Hi, Carrie. So, this is going to sound really crazy and kind of out of the blue, but—”  
“Don’t you need your band to leave? Are you going to turn off the projector or whatever? You were pretty clear that whatever you called me here for, whatever is going on with Nick, is a secret.”  
“The boys already know. Carlos, though, you should go. Carrie’s here now, remember? I’m sure Dad needs help in the house, okay?”  
Carlos scowled, but left.  
Carrie crossed her arms and glared at Julie. “Oh, so I can’t tell my dad or my band, but you can tell yours? How is that fair?”  
“You’ll see in just one moment,” Julie promised, then said, “Boys, keep playing, but quieter. No lyrics. I’ll play keyboard. That way we can all just talk.”  
The boys nodded and turned down the volume. Julie sat at the keyboard and played a few chords as she spoke.  
“The boys here were the ones I wanted to talk to about what’s going on in the first place. They know some stuff about… this kind of thing. See, the thing is… if I tell you this, you have to swear that you won’t tell anyone. Not your dad, not Dirty Candy, no one.”  
Carrie raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me that the Nick playing out there today was a hologram? That’s definitely cheating.”  
“What? No. That wouldn’t work anyways. Everyone would just go through him and then everyone would know that it wasn’t actually Nick. Do you promise not to tell?”  
“We’re not in fifth grade anymore, Jules.” Carrie rolled her eyes. “Fine. I promise not to tell anyone unless not telling someone will get someone hurt.”  
Julie and Flynn looked at each other and shrugged.  
“So…” Julie gulped. “The boys here are… ghosts.”  
Carrie wasn’t sure what she expected Julie to say, but that wasn’t it. She looked at each of their faces, to see if she was being pranked, but everyone in the room looked dead serious. She started to laugh.  
“Ghosts? Really? I thought obsession with the supernatural was your brother’s thing. We both stopped believing in ghosts when we were like eight!”  
“Carrie, I feel you. That was my reaction too—” Flynn slung an arm around Carrie’s shoulders with feigned-casualness. Carrie brushed her off, but Flynn was not deterred. She pulled Carrie towards the drummer and stuck her hand through his head. “—but it’s true. Alex, here, is a pretty big fan of Dirty Candy, actually. I can’t see him when he’s not playing with Julie, but I’ve heard that he likes to dance along to your songs.”  
“You’re all insane,” Carrie insisted, but she couldn’t keep her voice from shaking a little. She poked the drummer, Alex, and, sure enough, her finger went right through. That was normal, though. They were holograms. She wasn’t supposed to be able to touch them.  
“Check this out,” said a bandmate in a leather jacket. He disappeared with a popping noise and then came back, holding a hotdog.  
Julie took the food away from him. That shouldn’t have been possible. “No hotdogs. That’s how you died, idiot.”  
Somehow, even the word idiot sounded affectionate.  
“But food!” the boy whined.  
“You can’t even eat it! Anyways, this is Luke, Alex, and Reggie. Before they died, they were part of a band called Sunset Curve—”  
“Tell your friends.”  
“—but they died and I realized I could see them as ghosts and that everyone could see them when we played together, so we made a band. We think whoever was pretending to be Nick was a ghost… or something like it. We aren’t exactly sure, but there is a ghost that can make other ghosts visible to living people, and he doesn’t exactly like my boys—”  
Carrie held up her hand to stop her, “Go back. They’re dead? They’re not holograms. They’re actual ghosts? That’s not—I can’t—what?”  
Julie sighed, but didn’t say anything as Carrie processed. The boys gave her sympathetic looks. Flynn was just gloating. Was what Julie said true? Was it possible?  
“I like your songs,” Alex said, “Do you choreograph them yourself?”  
Carrie shook her head. She was talking to a ghost. A real, actual ghost. And he liked her songs! “That’s all Kayla. She’s really good at that type of thing.”  
“Clearly! You guys are really good. The lyrics are a bit self-absorbed, but the rhythm and the melody and the dances are all great! Your lyricist should take lessons from Luke and Julie.”  
Carrie winced. The lyrics were hers, carefully crafted to be what people expected of a rockstar’s daughter.   
“Seriously,” Alex continued, “You should see them when they get in one of their writing trances. They don’t even hear me and Reggie.”  
“We hear you!” Julie protested.  
Luke grinned. “Yeah, we hear you. We just ignore you.”  
Julie threw a shoe at him, making him disappear for a minute. Then he was strumming his guitar again and laughing.  
They were so casual. So happy. They just… clicked. Carrie used to be like that with Julie, but not anymore.  
“You guys are really good though,” Alex told Carrie, still playing the drums. “That’s not why Julie brought you here though. This ghost that can make us visible to other people, his name’s Caleb. Willie told me that he’s been missing since the day after our Orpheum performance. We don’t know what he’s planning, but I know he’s planning something. He’s been kind of obsessed with us. We think Nick might be a part of that plan. Somehow.”  
Okay, the drummer was a fan. Carrie could accept him. The others? Who knows.   
She shook her head. “You think Nick knows a ghost? That doesn’t seem very likely to me. It sounds more like you’ve lost your mind and I was an idiot to come here.”  
“Leave, then,” Flynn challenged.  
Carrie glared at her. They both knew she wasn’t going to. She was curious, and once she was curious, she was going to see it through. That’s why she had let them in instead of calling security when they showed up at her house, but that had all been for nothing but awkwardness. Carrie still wasn’t sure what they had wanted.   
Unless… it had something to do with these boys.  
Carrie sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. “Any clues on what this supposed plan is or what part Nick plays in it?”  
The bassist, Reggie, shrugged helplessly. “Not a clue. All we know is what Willie told Alex about Caleb. Maybe he’s trying to lull us into a false sense of security or something before he strikes.”  
Alex agreed, “That sounds like him.”  
“Nick’s been acting weird, right?” Flynn said, “He’s gotten worse at some skills and better at others. He’s been borderline mean to me.”  
“It’s like he’s a completely different person,” Carrie agreed.  
Julie’s head snapped up. “What was that? What did you just say?”  
Carrie looked at the others, confused, but they didn’t seem to understand whatever Julie was thinking either. Well, except Flynn, but Flynn wasn’t about to explain. “He’s… a different person?”  
“Alex, did Willie mention if Caleb can possess people?”  
The drummer stared at her, seeming to understand but not liking what he was understanding. “He didn’t, but I wouldn’t put it past Caleb to do something like that. He owns people’s souls after all. You think he possessed your friend?”  
“Maybe.”  
“But why?” Alex asked. “What could he possibly gain from possessing a boy who can’t even see us? If he wants us to join him so badly… this doesn’t make sense!”  
“Maybe…” Luke said, then paused. “Nevermind.”  
“Maybe what?”  
“Maybe he’s trying to… not to attack us, but to attack Julie.” The room went quiet for a minute and Luke pressed on, his playing getting faster. “Think about it. Every time we turned Caleb down, it was because we had another band, because we have Julie. If he gets rid of Julie…”  
“There would be no reason for you guys not to join him,” Julie finished. “Well, that’s just great.”  
“Jules, I’m sure that’s not it,” Luke promised, “We don’t even know if he can possess people. And if it is, we’ll protect you. We’ll make sure he can’t hurt you. Even if we didn’t have you, though, we would never join him. Right, boys?”  
Alex nodded, and Reggie said, “Absolutely!”  
Looking into Julie’s eyes, Luke continued, “It’s probably not what’s going on, though. He probably is just partying in some other corner of the world. Who knows. Maybe he’s completely given up on getting us into his house band or whatever. He can find other ghosts. There’s no way we’re the only ones out there with powers like his.”  
Julie played a quiet chord and said, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you three are powerful. I don’t think he would just stop trying, especially since you didn’t cross over.”  
“Cross over?” Carrie asked.  
“Go to heaven, basically,” Flynn explained. “They can’t because they still have something they need to do here. Unfinished business.”  
“And this whole thing doesn’t seem insane to you?”  
“No, it does—” Flynn sat on the armrest, uncomfortably close to Carrie. “—but we’ve gotten used to it. I’ve kind of taken this whole thing as a way to say anything’s possible. Julie can join a ghost band. This Caleb guy can own people’s souls. Why not?”  
Carrie shook her head. They were all crazy, and she was starting to go crazy too. She should just leave and go home and then she would wake up in bed and know that the whole thing had been some weird nightmare.  
But she didn’t. Instead, she sighed and said, “So, assuming this Caleb guy is possessing Nick in an attempt to hurt Julie to get back at the ghost boys… what’s the plan?”


	3. Flynn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flynn eavesdrops as Carrie digs for answers

Flynn didn’t trust Carrie as far as she could throw her. Once upon a time, she had, but she had stopped a few years back when she learned that Carrie had stolen one of Julie’s songs. She recorded it as though it was hers and didn’t credit Julie or Mrs. Molina at all. Julie and her mom had tried to fight back, but Carrie had called her dad and he had backed her up. She had helped write the song, so it was technically hers.  
But it wasn’t just hers. It was Julie’s and Mrs. Molina’s and Flynn’s. Flynn had helped the group figure out the rhythm. Didn’t she and the others get a say? Apparently not. It was Carrie’s world and the rest of them were just living in it.  
Julie’s mom had sat Flynn and Julie down and given them a serious talk after it had happened. She told them that nothing they did now would change the past and made sure they both knew it. All they could do now was move on. Revenge was not the answer. Let Carrie have that song. They could write more. They could forgive. They could be successful without Carrie or the song she stole. They didn’t have to like Carrie or be friends with her, but they did have to be civil and polite with her. If they weren’t, it would come back to haunt them one day, and one day, what she had done would haunt her too.  
Even if she did feel bad about it, Flynn didn’t trust her. They didn’t tell anyone why she and Julie had stopped hanging out with Carrie, but everyone knew that something had happened. Julie had extended the metaphorical olive branch a few times, but it had never been returned. Flynn hadn’t made any such attempts and she didn’t mean to. She wasn’t about to forgive Carrie for hurting Jules like that. She would honor Julie’s mom’s words about not getting revenge, but Mrs. Molina had never said anything about making jabs at Carrie in the hallway or returning Carrie’s passive aggressive taunts.  
So trusting Carrie not only to keep the ghost boys a secret and to help them figure out what was going on with Nick and this Caleb guy? Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.  
Luckily, Flynn had gotten pretty good at sneaking around. Even if she didn’t want to fade into the background, being friends with Carrie—and now Julie, since her fame was rising—had made her pretty good at it. Let the others take the spotlight. No performer would ever survive without a talented tech crew.  
So when she saw Carrie talking to Nick in the hallway the next day, she waved goodbye to Julie and went to say hi to one of the Dirty Candy girls, Kayla. Kayla was cool. They weren’t friends, but they acknowledged each other. Flynn let Kayla rant to her and the rest of Dirty Candy about something her brother had done that was driving her crazy, but quickly tuned her out to focus on Carrie and Nick’s conversation.  
“What is up with you recently?” she heard Carrie snap. That probably wasn’t the best way to go about it, but it was certainly Carrie’s style. She wasn’t pampering him with gentle words just because he might have been possessed by an evil soul-stealing jerk who could probably kill her with a blink.  
“I—”  
“And choose your next words carefully, Nickipoo.”  
Nick raised an eyebrow. “Nickipoo?”  
“Don’t you remember?”  
He had to remember. There was no way someone showed up at your girlfriend’s house, called you Nickipoo, had their best friend repeat it, and then you forgot it. That didn’t happen.  
“Is this about Julie?” Nick asked after a moment, “Because we’re not dating anymore, Carrie. We broke up. Don’t you remember? I’m not taking you back. And who I like is none of your business.”  
Flynn’s gut squeezed at the words who I like. She had been trying to push Julie and Nick together for forever. It had always been obvious how much Julie liked him, and as far as Flynn was concerned, it was pretty clear that he liked her back. But just when the two of them started to realize that, Jules had to go fall in love with a dead guy who was bound to break her heart.  
Typical.  
“Look, Nick. I know we don’t always see eye to eye, but you have to believe me. Something’s up with her. Even if we aren’t together, we used to be friends. Trust me. If you get much closer to Julie Molina, you are going to get hurt. Besides, we all know she’s head over heels for that guitarist. It’s pretty obvious.”  
Flynn glanced over just in time to see Nick wince.  
“Yeah, but he’s a hologram. Who says he’s even a real person?”  
“I don’t think you can program a hologram to look at you like that.”  
Carrie did have a point there. Every time Luke looked at Julie it was the epitome of heart eyes. Flynn hadn’t thought it possible for someone to basically be a walking emoji and make it look normal, but somehow, Beanie Baby had found a way. Seriously. Every face he made could be translated into the emoji keyboard.   
But this was off topic. And how was Carrie supposed to confirm whether or not Nick was possessed by the creepy jolt dude or not when she was talking about whether or not the boys were holograms? Had she forgotten why she was there? Had she forgotten Flynn’s very specific instructions not to let Nick/Caleb know that the boys were still around or even reference them at all if she could help it?  
“What do you think, Flynn?” Kayla said.  
Flynn pulled herself back to the conversation that she was actually a part of. “I think you said it perfectly.”  
Kayla laughed. “I wish you could hang around more often. You’re pretty funny. Why did you and Carrie stop being friends, anyways?”  
Flynn glanced at the ground. “I’d rather not talk about it. It was a whole thing, you know. I don’t want to bring it up again. Besides that was 6th grade! That drama is as old as time itself!”  
“But the effects linger,” Kayla nudged her. “And everyone in the school wants to know. Plus, we saw you and Julie talking to Carrie at the lacrosse game last friday and she avoided us for the rest of the day!”  
“We got in a fight and after that we drifted apart. That’s it. We weren’t really talking at the game either. She shot an insult, I shot one back, and Julie dragged me away before it escalated. I don’t know why she was avoiding you, but it had nothing to do with me.” Flynn lied. “I have to get to my next class. It was nice talking with you.”  
The girls waved goodbye, already twisting her words into thread for some new gossip, no doubt. Flynn sighed. A new day, a new drama.  
“Nick,” Carrie was saying as Flynn passed, “I’m seriously starting to get worried. Your lacrosse performance has been… weird. I went to your last game and—”  
“Then you’ll know we won our last game. Because of me.”  
“—and I think it’s a bit odd that you single-handedly lost the last three games. You’re their star player! And suddenly you barely know the rules. And then last week you made a nearly impossible shot and won the game. It doesn’t make sense and we both know I’m not going to be the only one to notice. You’re not taking steroids, are you? You know that would get you kicked off the team and out of music.”  
Nick laughed. “No, no. I’ve just been… stressed. Lot of schoolwork, figuring out how to balance this and the… everything. You know. Life.”  
“No, I don’t know. What is this?”  
“I just meant balancing schoolwork with work and music and lacrosse, Carrie. Are you okay? You’re acting really weird. Do you need to go to the nurse?”  
Flynn lost track of the conversation after that. Even walking as slowly as she could, she had lost them.  
Carrie and Nick never showed up to homeroom two periods later. She and Julie watched for them, but neither of them made an appearance. Hopefully Carrie learned something useful.  
“Do you think something happened to her?” Julie finally asked as she and Flynn climbed into her car. It used to be Julie’s mom’s car, but then everything had happened and Julie had her license so it was hers. Until Carlos could drive, at least. As it was, Julie had her own car.  
It was strange to see Julie worried like that about Carrie. It was the same look she had on her face after the dance when she told Flynn that she wasn’t sure whether to be angry or scared for the boy's safety. Carrie didn’t deserve that look.  
“Like what?”  
“I don’t know. I’ve never met Caleb, but I’ve seen what he can do to people. He could stamp her.”  
“What if it isn’t even Caleb? Maybe Nick’s just acting weird because he realized that you’re into Luke or because you rejected him and he doesn’t want to make things awkward. Maybe the reason Caleb hasn’t been at the club is because he’s trying to bully some other poor ghosts into joining his cult.”  
“He was floating, Flynn. We both saw it. There’s only one ghost I’ve ever heard of that could do that.”  
“Jules—” Flynn put her hand on Julie’s arm, forcing her to relax her grip on the steering wheel. “—it’s going to be okay. Caleb isn’t going to hurt Carrie or the boys or us. He may seem all powerful or whatever, but you’ve already broken his spells once. I’m sure we can do it again. First, though, we have to get home without dying, so focus on the road.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it! I’m trying to add the next chapter each Thursday. As always, feel free to put ideas or thoughts in the comments! I love to hear them!


	4. Carrie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrie talks to Nick and... meets a certain creepy ghost

“Woah,” Carrie gasped.   
Her conversation with Nick had turned into an all out argument as soon as Flynn was gone—of course Carrie had known that she was there. She was talking to Carrie’s friends, which she usually didn’t do, and Carrie had known her since kindergarten. Even if it had been years since they said a word to the other that wasn’t laced in venom, Carrie knew her. But without Flynn there to mediate and getting nowhere with Nick, Carrie had decided that enough was enough.  
She pulled Nick into one of the many small practice rooms lining the halls of the music wing and flat out asked if he had been possessed. She hadn’t expected him to answer honestly. She definitely hadn’t expected him to “poof” her into a completely different place.  
It was a large fancy ballroom with a circular stage. Circles on the walls read “HGC” and “Hollywood Ghost Club” in big letters. Tables and chairs had been pushed along the walls to make space for the many people learning choreography to a jazzy-sounding recording. Some of them were dressed in outfits that were a bit like the Dirty Candy outfits taken to the extreme mixed with strange colored birds. Others were dressed in normal street clothes. Others still wore outfits that looked like they had been taken out of a 1920s lookbook.  
Beside her, Nick opened his mouth. Purple smoke billowed out. Carrie jumped away. Nick fell to the ground. A man in a suit and top hat appeared and turned to her with a smile.  
“Caleb Covington,” he said, holding out a hand. “I am so glad I finally get to meet you for myself. Trevor Wilson’s daughter, yes? I’ve heard a bit about you. Oh, don’t worry about your friend. What’s his name again? Nick? He’ll wake up in a few hours. Won’t remember a thing. I’m so sorry you had to come during rehearsal. Normally our guests come in the evening, when we’re all set up. You are going to love what we have planned tonight. Everyone!” Caleb turned to the group of performers, who immediately gave him their undivided attention. “May I introduce Miss Carrie Wilson. She’s—where is William?”  
There was too much to process for her to respond to anything he said. What did he mean, tonight? Who was William? Nick had actually been possessed? She thought they were kidding. Even with the ghosts-being-real thing, possession had seemed out of bounds. She thought they were trying to get her to make a fool of herself. That’s why she had gotten Nick on his own before asking him.  
“We haven’t seen him since Nothing to Lose. He’s probably out skating somewhere.”  
“Or at the museum. You know he likes to go there when he’s having a hard time. Or when he wants to show off.”  
“Or he’s at the beach moping. I don’t blame him. Blondie was pretty cute and a good dancer.” A man in a pink suit elbowed one of the dancers next to him. “He would have fit right in here. Plus he was so hot in a suit.”  
“Guys, stop. You’re being insensitive. Willie’s boyfriend is gone. Of course he’s going to be upset.”  
“They weren’t official,” Pink Suit pointed out, “and they met like two weeks ago.”  
One of the dancers in the front shrugged. “Young love. It makes everyday feel like an eternity. Why do you ask? He’d just throw off the routine anyways, with the state he’s in.”  
Julie had mentioned a Willie, hadn’t she? How many ghosts had that name? Was this Alex’s Willie? She had so many questions.  
“Why did you bring me here?” Carrie crossed her arms and glared at Caleb. “I have classes to get to, you know. You’re an adult. Aren’t you supposed to be convincing me not to skip classes?”  
Caleb laughed. “Not all adults are the same, Miss Wilson. I prefer to have a nice party. Besides, I couldn’t lie. I’ve heard that you are an exceptional dancer, yes?”  
Carrie tossed her curls. “Of course. I’m the lead singer and dancer for Dirty Candy. I have to be good.”  
“Wonderful to hear. And you sing too? You’re very talented.”  
“I—” Carrie glanced around.   
Were these people ghosts too? What did he want with her? Even if it did feel nice to have someone appreciate her… no. This guy was evil. Right? I mean, Julie also seemed to think she was evil. Julie didn’t exactly have the best perception of people. Besides, she had never even met Caleb. She was going based on her bands’ ideas of him, and Carrie had gotten the impression that they were all lowkey idiots.  
She finished, “Thank you. But you didn’t answer my question.”  
Caleb nodded, his smile not faltering. “Of course. I brought you here because I see something in you. You are not destined to be a part of a pop group forever, especially not one that performs at little cafes and school assemblies. You were born to perform in front of millions, each and every audience member waiting to see what you will do next, even if they’ve seen it thousands of times. After all, they’ve only seen it that many times so that they can see you.”  
Carrie’s mouth fell open slightly. He had just described her dream. All eyes on her, just like her song said. Born to perform…  
A strange noise filled the room and a boy with long brown hair and a skateboard appeared. His puffy red eyes widened as he saw Carrie and Caleb.  
“Caleb,” he said, “Hey. I didn’t know you were back. I was just—”  
“Going behind my back and ignoring my direct orders, again, William? You know I hate to do this, but we did talk about this. I asked you to stay here while I was out and you disobeyed me. Again. I’m going to have to take your board.”  
“No, I—you can’t—”  
Caleb snapped his fingers and the skateboard disappeared from his hands. “I can’t what?”  
Willie looked down and mumbled something. Caleb tapped his ear. Willie repeated, “Skating is all I have left. You’ve already taken everything else. The joy of dancing, my freedom, Alex—”  
“I gave you everything, William. The fact that you gave it all up for a pretty face is no one’s fault but yours.”  
This was Alex’s Willie. Which meant that he had helped save the lives—or afterlives—of Julie’s band members. The people who brought music back into her life. The reason Julie had spoken to her like a friend for the first time in years. Oh, Carrie was in so much trouble.  
There was no way whatever had happened was Willie’s fault. He had been crying about it for days, apparently. If it was his fault, he clearly regretted it. He deserved a second chance. Just like Carrie deserved a second chance.  
But Flynn had been very clear that no second chances were going to be given to her.  
“Give him a break, for crying out loud,” Carrie glared at Caleb. “He’s clearly sorry for whatever happened. Haven’t you heard the term forgive and forget? Move on.”  
“He betrayed me,” Caleb said coolly. “I cannot trust him anymore. But as lovely as it is for Willie to join us, that is not why you are here. I wanted to give you a very exclusive offer. I know your talent and I see your desire to perform and be appreciated for your skills. I could help you with that. How would you like to join my dancers here on the floor of my club? You’re a natural born leader. You could be the one to bring us from great to jaw-dropping. Of course, I’ll let you visit the club while we’re busier to see what the dancers do before you make your decision, but I thought I’d put the offer out there from the beginning.”  
On the floor, Nick moaned. Carrie dropped to her knees. She and Nick may not always get along, but they were close. Besides, they might be the only living people in the room. They had to stick together.  
“Carrie?” He mumbled, “What happened? One second I was at the Molina’s house to congratulate Julie and then that creepy guy showed up and—YOU!” He scooted away from Caleb as fast as he could, but Caleb just shook his head with a smile.  
“What do you say, Miss Carrie?”  
“I…” she paused. “I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to my father and his lawyer before I make any promises. We can discuss the legal aspect and how much you’ll be paying me when we meet up again so that I can see the dancers in action. As for right now, Nick and I need to go home.”  
“Of course,” Caleb said, then grabbed Nick’s head.   
The purple smoke appeared again, forcing its way down Nick’s throat. Carrie gagged and looked away. When it cleared, only Nick was standing there, looking much more awake and much less confused. Something glinted in his eye.  
Nick—Caleb—smirked. “And I wouldn’t tell anyone about this, if I were you. They’ll think you’ve lost your mind. Of course, I’ll deny everything. Instead of becoming a world class dancer and popstar, you’d become a sad, pitiful little girl locked in a padded room. And Carrie, darling. If you tell anyone—” His smile fell. “—I will know.”  
The world disappeared into a haze of smoke. When she opened her eyes again, she was in her bedroom, alone.  
She had a lot of questions, but all of them came down to one answer: tell Julie what happened and pray she wasn’t actually going insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie I had this one written but I almost forgot to post it. I really need to work on the next chapter lol stay tuned!


	5. Julie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrie tells Julie what happened. Alex freaks out about Willie. The girls help him smile again. They’re not friends, but it’s a step.

“I’m sorry, what happened?” Julie demanded. Carrie had shown up at the Molina’s garage out of the blue about an hour after school ended, looking shaken. Julie and the boys had been about to rehearse, but Carrie’s appearance took precedence.  
“The Caleb guy that’s possessing Nick took me to his club and asked me to join,” Carrie repeated.  
“What did you tell him?”  
“I told him I needed time to think about it. I mean, you’ve got to admit, it would be pretty cool. It’s a ghost club. What did you want me to say, no?”  
“Yes!” Julie through her hands in the air.  
“That’s what your boys said, and from what I can tell, that didn’t turn out very well for them. I didn’t want him to stamp me or whatever. Better to let him think I’m at least interested.”  
Julie had to admit that Carrie had a good point. Caleb was dangerous. Thankfully, Carrie was the queen of getting her way and passive-aggressiveness. Well, Flynn could definitely rival the title, but Flynn wasn’t the one who had been asked to join the Hollywood Ghost Club.  
Julie took a deep breath and tried unsuccessfully to gather her thoughts. “Okay. So what does he want, exactly?”  
“He talked more about what I want. He wants to sell me on the idea first before he gives the details, before he reveals what he wants. He did say, however, that he wants me to join his dancers. He mentioned Dirty Candy. I’m not entirely sure why he wants me specifically. Kayla’s the better dancer and the choreographer.”  
Okay, Carrie doubting herself was not what Julie had expected to deal with today. The entire time they had known each other, Carrie had always been the more self-confident of the two. When had that changed?  
“Yeah, but you steal the show. You’re the center of attention, the one everyone watches. You have a whole song about it, don’t you? All eyes on me?”  
Carrie laughed. “That’s more about what I wish would happen instead of what really does. Like, it happens when I’m with my dad, but that’s only because people like my dad. Not because they like me. Why am I telling you this? We’re not even friends. Either way, I told Caleb that I’m thinking about it. What do I do now?”  
“Um, hey,” Alex popped his head through the studio door. The boys could have come in, but they didn’t. She knew that they were waiting outside, in case she and Carrie decided to address the elephant in the room. She knew they had been there because Reggie had walked in, seen the girls, and walked out. From that point onwards, three ghostly faces kept haunting the windows of the garage door.  
“Hey?” Julie asked, wondering where this was going. Carrie looked puzzled, but then saw that she was talking to nothing and understood.  
“I didn’t mean to snoop, but I… I heard her mention the club and… could you ask her if she saw Willie? I haven’t been able to find him all day. He’s usually out skating by the beach or in the museum but he’s just… gone.”  
Julie could see that if Alex didn’t get answers soon, he was going to assume that Willie was gone forever. He was already spiralling. So she nodded, patted the floor beside her, and turned back to Carrie.  
“Hey, Reggie and Luke,” she called to the other side of the door, “Can you get Flynn and get back here? We need as many brain cells between us as we can find.”  
A thumbs up through the window meant at least one of them was off to haunt Flynn into coming over. If it was Reggie, that probably meant picking up random things until she answered him. If it was Luke, he would probably just take whatever she was working on and throw it in the trash.  
Julie could have texted her, but if Willie was in danger… she didn’t want Alex to worry about their bandmates listening in.  
“Alex just came in,” she told Carrie, “He wants to know if you saw Willie. His boyfriend. I’ve never seen him, but from what I’ve heard, he has long brown hair, brown eyes, and likes skating, screaming in museums, and wearing shorts with tails. Did you see anyone who fit that description?”  
Julie almost hoped she hadn’t.  
Then Carrie looked down and said, “Is that short for William?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Yeah, I saw him. He showed up after Caleb took me to the club. He looked like a wreck. It looked like he had been crying. The other ghosts said it was because his boyfriend… Alex… was gone. But Alex has seen him since the whole Orpheum thing, hasn’t he? Why would he be so… broken?”  
Alex’s face went white as paper. “Ask her what happened. Did Caleb let him off the hook? He told me he wasn’t even supposed to be leaving the HGC anymore. If he’s in trouble because he came to see me—”  
“No one is responsible for Caleb’s actions but Caleb. It’s going to be okay. Willie is going to be okay.”   
She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away before she could try. “I… don’t want to be touched right now. I’m—I’m gonna just play my drums until everyone else comes back.”  
“Okay,” Julie said, letting her arm drop. “If Willie’s in trouble, then, I promise, all of this stuff is put on the back burner. I don’t care what Caleb’s plan is. I’ll march down there myself and steal his soul back.”  
The weird thing was, even though she had never met Willie, she was one hundred percent serious. He was important to Alex, so he was important to her. Maybe she and Luke… were complicated. Maybe they would never be able to be in a real relationship. But Willie and Alex were both ghosts and they loved each other so much. Julie could see it, and she couldn’t even see Willie. She would help get him back.  
“Yeah, I’m not sure this will help, but while I was there, they made a really big deal out of taking his skateboard away. Is that a big thing with ghosts or is that just Willie?”  
Alex sobbed slightly and started banging on the drums as hard as humanly possible. Julie didn’t think her and the rest of the boys together could play louder than whatever he was doing. She and Carrie winced and covered their ears, but they didn’t leave.  
Alex needed them.  
Not just Julie or Luke or Reggie or Willie, but Carrie, too. It was a weird feeling, but it was true.  
Carrie said something, but Julie could barely hear her over the noise.  
Carrie stood up and walked over to the drums. Alex quieted down and apologized.  
“Don’t be sorry,” Julie said, “I’d be upset too. And skateboarding was really big to him, wasn’t it?”  
Alex nodded, his lip quivering. “Being able to skate meant that he had some kind of freedom, some kind of autonomy without Caleb breathing down his neck. It’s how he met me. He tried to skate through me but crashed into me instead.” He laughed a little, but the sound was hollow, empty.  
“Get up,” Carrie told him in a voice that left no room for discussion. “We’re dancing. Julie, play upbeat, dance-y music, please.”  
“I’m not Alexa,” Julie muttered, but she connected her phone to the speakers and chose an upbeat song that she, Carrie, and Flynn had choreographed a dance for in elementary school. She barely remembered the dance, but she and Carrie each remembered small sections, and they taught them to Alex. It didn’t make him less sad, but it distracted him a bit.  
They would find a way to help Willie. They would save him. But first they would save Alex from himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this chapter was surprisingly hard to write and is not that good BUT I have started next weeks so it won’t be late (sorry about that). I don’t know if I’ll finish this or where I’m going or what tbh. I hope you like it!


	6. Julie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrie stops by to study (It’s a pretty house, okay) and stays for dinner

Carrie started visiting the Molina house again, showing up at seemingly random times, just like she used to when they were friends.   
Sometimes, she came to see Alex, to talk or to teach him a new dance that Dirty Candy was working on. Carrie had always been a firm believer that if you could teach someone else the content you were struggling with, you understood it well enough to be tested on it. Luckily for her, Alex was happy to learn, even if the guys teased him about it sometimes.  
Sometimes she came because she had a bad day and liked being surrounded by live music and plants at the same time.  
Sometimes, she came to see if they had any news about Caleb.  
There never was.  
They had reached out to his dads, to tell them that they were worried about Nick, but they didn’t seem too worried. All Julie heard back was a quick text thanking her for her concern, but Nick was fine, thank you very much. They hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary with him.  
So, until they learned more about how the whole possession thing worked and what he wanted with Carrie, they were at a bit of a dead end.   
Julie tried not to think about it.  
Especially not when she still had to worry about the boys and the band and their success and the fact that Carrie kept showing up at her house and how her dad still didn’t know about the dead boys in the garage.  
Really, with everything going on in her life, she shouldn’t have been surprised to find Carrie sitting in the gardens behind the garage. She and Carrie still weren’t on good terms, per se, even if they weren’t as hostile as they had been. Julie was definitely surprised at the timing though. Julie had just finished rehearsal and was about to go inside for dinner, but there was Carrie, typing some equation into her calculator, acting like she’d never hurt Julie. She wrote something down and put her notebook away before realizing she wasn’t alone.  
“Won’t your dad be wondering where you are?” Julie asked in lieu of a greeting.  
Carrie scowled at her, as though Julie had showed up at her house, not the other way around. Then she sighed and said, “He won’t be home until nine at least. He’s got a ton of meetings today. As long as I’m home before he is, he won’t even know I came by. I just… I came to get my homework done in a quiet, pretty place where I wouldn’t bother anyone or be noticed.”  
“Isn’t your place pretty quiet?” Julie hadn’t meant for it to sound rude, but come on. She was tired and hungry and Carrie was there and Carrie had hurt her before. It still hurt. They hadn’t even talked about it.  
Carrie winced. “Too quiet. Your house is quietly full. A little bit chaotic at times, but… full. My house is empty. Does that make any sense?”  
“Kind of.” Julie sat down beside Carrie and for a moment neither of them said anything. Carrie jotted something down in her notebook. Then Julie said, “You know your dad loves you, right? The house may not have as many people as we do here, especially with my boys, but he does love you, and he tries to be there for you as much as he can.”  
“I know,” Carrie snapped, “and for your information, we are having a Wilson Day on Saturday. This is just a busy day.”  
Julie smiled. Carrie had always loved “Wilson Days.” She and her dad both set aside time on their calendars, months in advance, to just hang out. They could do whatever they wanted, as long as they did it together. Sometimes this meant going to the movies or the mall. Other times this meant a cuddle pile and a movie night with plenty of pizza and fuzzy blankets. On one notable occasion, it meant dressing famous rockstar Trevor Wilson in Dirty Candy style clothes and busking on the beach, just to see how people reacted. Julie had never been on one—Trevor’s therapist had been very clear that he needed to make time specifically for Carrie—but she always heard about them from Carrie the next day.  
“I didn’t mean to bother you,” Carrie said, “I was just doing some homework and this seems like a pretty good stopping place so I’ll get out of your hair now. Thanks… for not kicking me out. I know I’ve been a jerk, especially with all your mom stuff, so… thanks.”   
She stood up and pulled her bag over her shoulder.  
“Wait,” Julie said on instinct, “Would you like to stay for dinner? There’s some stuff we need to talk about, especially if we’re going to be working together to figure out this Caleb thing. Or… if you want to keep hanging out around here.”  
“Really? I mean, do you think your dad would be okay with it?”  
Julie shrugged. “As long as you’re okay with Tía’s cooking. She said she’d bring us food, I think, but she won’t be staying long because she has pilates.”  
Carrie paused for a minute, in which Julie wondered how terrible of an idea this was, then said, “Okay.”  
~~~  
They found the boys—or two of them, at least—“helping” her dad in the kitchen. Really, Reggie was casually pushing objects into obvious places so that her dad could find them and look was talking passionately about the song he and Julie were working on. He grinned at her as she entered the room, that bright, happy smile, and her heart fluttered.  
She still hadn’t told him about Perfect Harmony. It was hidden safely in her dream box—which she had gotten a lock for, so that the boys couldn’t snoop again.  
Carrie noticed her smiling and raised an eyebrow, a silent question. Julie nodded. Her dad didn’t notice their silent exchange.  
“There you are, mija. Oh, Carrie! It’s nice to see you. Are you joining us for dinner? Great. Julie, can you get Carlos? And I need someone to set the table. Carrie, I know you’re a guest—”  
“I’ve got it, Dad,” Julie said, “and Carrie can come with me to get Carlos. Right, Carrie?”  
The girls grabbed plates, forks, knives, and cups. Julie jerked her head toward the dining room and Luke jumped off the counter to follow. Reggie hung behind, talking to Julie’s dad about how Alex and Willie were on a date and sure, they weren’t calling it a date, but everyone knew it was true and weren’t they just so cute? Julie had never met Willie, or at least she couldn’t see him, but based on Alex’s reactions when the other boys brought him up, Reggie was right. They were very cute together.  
She left the plates on the dining room table and went to get Carlos. Usually, they ate at the four-person table in the kitchen, but they had a guest. Technically, they could have fit at the kitchen table, but it still felt weird to not leave a place for her mom.  
Baby steps, Dr. Turner always told her. Baby steps were important. Well, getting back into music was a huge step, so Julie figured she was allowed to keep this.  
Besides, Reggie liked to pretend the empty spot was for him when he joined their family dinners. They both knew the truth, but Reggie was practically part of the family anyways. Her dad just… didn’t know exactly how many kids he really had.  
He really was the best dad ever.  
“Dinner,” she called as she knocked on Carlos’s door.   
They dropped Carrie’s backpack in Julie’s room before returning to the dining room. The table was already set. It was a bit messy, but it was set. Carrie’s eyes grey wide.  
“Thanks, guys,” Julie said.  
“You’re welcome,” they chorused.  
Carrie nodded, her eyes still wide. “Oh, okay. They can pick things up? I mean, besides their instruments?”  
Reggie picked up a glass in confirmation.  
“They’re still working on it, but they’re getting a lot better. I’m just glad they didn’t break any of the glasses.”  
“Oh, good, you set the table,” her dad said as he entered the room, carrying one of Tìa’s dishes, “Did you girls get Carlos?”  
“Yes, Mr. Molina,” Carrie smiled, but she looked less comfortable than she usually did. Julie supposed that was fair. Her dad knew what had happened between them, with the song and everything. She hadn’t been in their house in years. Of course she wouldn’t be in her element.  
“Great. Take a seat. We’ll eat as soon as Carlos gets here.”  
What ensued was probably the most awkward meal Julie had ever sat through. She and Carrie sat as far away as possible, on opposite sides of the table. Her dad was smart enough not to ask why Carrie was there. Carlos, not so much.   
Julie stumbled through some jumbled explanation of studying and flowers, but Carrie stopped her. She told them that she missed studying in their garden and asked if she could stop by. That day, her homework had taken longer than she expected, so she was still there when Julie left the studio.  
That seemed to be a good enough story for Carlos, especially since it was true. Carrie had just carefully omitted the whole ghost-possessing-her-ex-boyfriend thing.  
“So you heard them practicing, huh?” Carlos asked.  
Julie froze. She hadn’t even thought about that. What if Carrie had been there so that she could take a Julie and the Phantoms song to use for Dirty Candy? She’d done something similar once before. Sure, it had been years, but she had never exactly apologized or been the nicest person to Julie or Flynn after that. If she did steal a song… that would not fly, especially with Luke.  
Luke, who was standing behind her, whispering, “It’s okay. I’m not sure why that stressed you out, other than the fact that Carrie’s in your house, but it’s going to be okay. Your feelings are totally valid. If you need to scream, we can always go to the garage and I will scream in solidarity, okay? Don’t worry. You’re tough. You’ve got this.”  
She dropped her hand below the table. Luke got the idea. He sat down, leaning on her chair and holding her hand, rubbing calming circles into her palm.   
It took her a moment to realize that they were touching—that he was holding her hand—but when she did process it, she blushed and smiled at him. He didn’t make any motion to pull away, so she didn’t either.  
“Yeah,” Carrie was saying, “I heard them practicing. And I know you guys are basically my rivals or whatever, but… you guys are… kinda good.”  
“Kinda?” Luke said, sounding just as offended as he had when Julie said the same thing.  
Julie snorted, then covered it with a cough and smiled at Carrie. “Thanks. It means a lot. And, off the record, I think Dirty Candy is kinda good, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I wrote a thing!! I also wrote a song for Carrie but that’s not yet (insert winky face). I hope you like it!  
> Check me out on tumblr @100blueberries


	7. Carrie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carrie struggles with how to apologize to Julie.

When did Carrie’s life become so complicated? On top of school, Dirty Candy rehearsals, and trying to figure out why a ghost who was currently possessing Nick wanted her to join his club, she also had to figure out a way to apologize to Julie.  
She crumpled up the paper she was writing on and threw it at the wall. It was past midnight and she had already been working for an hour, but she couldn’t let herself stop.   
Her apology had to be perfect. The words had to feel right, to show how sorry she was for all the pain she had caused Julie over the years. The words just weren’t coming. Every time she tried, she realized she was only writing about herself. She had to write about her feelings, yeah, but she also had to write about Julie.  
Julie. Perfect, talented Julie Molina who, for all her awkwardness, came alive when she sang and made other people feel alive too. Her songs connected people in a way Carrie’s songs never had. Her songs were full of emotion, overflowing with love, and drew in a crowd. Most importantly, they were honest.  
Her world was her music. Her voice was her gift from the universe. Just her listening to music had basically brought three boys back to life. For all her struggles, Julie never seemed to falter. Even when she couldn’t play or sing, she had stayed in the music program, listening to everyone else, supporting them.  
Even if Carrie didn’t want to admit it, the music program wouldn’t be the same without Julie Molina.  
But how was she supposed to say that? She was a rockstar’s daughter living in a mansion in Malibu. She had appearances to maintain, a perfect life to hold onto.  
Carrie slammed her head on her desk.  
“This is hopeless,” she moaned.  
A quiet scratching sound from beside her made her lift her head.  
One of the papers she had thrown away had flattened itself. Below her neat handwriting was a messy scrawl. It took her a minute to read it, especially in the lower lighting, but eventually she read, “Are you okay?”  
She rolled her eyes. “Do I look okay?”  
“No,” a pen wrote. “Anything I can do?”  
“Not that I know of, unless you know how to apologize to someone for stealing their songs and ruining a friendship. Who am I talking to, by the way? Is that Alex or…?”  
“Luke,” the pen wrote. “I came to see your dad and I noticed you were having a hard time. Maybe I can help. Who are you apologizing to?”  
“Julie, of course. I… don’t tell her about any of this, please. She already knows it, but… please don’t mention this. When Dirty Candy was starting to form… I was never the best at making lyrics that connected with people. Everything I learned about songwriting, I learned from her mom. You would think I would have learned it from my dad, but no. He’s a good songwriter, obviously, but he’s a better singer. Plus, we don’t exactly have the same genre. Anyways, she and her mom helped me write a song for me to sing. Kayla choreographed a great number for it—we thought it was great at the time anyways—and we entered a dance competition. It wasn’t great, and I’ve learned how to sing much better now, but we were… you know, kids. Dirty Candy won the competition for our age range and, since it was an original song, one of the judges, this producer, asked if we wanted it recorded. I immediately said yes. I forgot to mention that I wasn’t the only one who wrote it. I figured it wasn’t a big deal, that we could sing it together, this song we wrote, and that all of our names would be on it. I didn’t know that they meant that I wouldn’t be able to credit the other people who wrote it, or that I wouldn’t even get to sing it myself. They gave it to some popstar. I didn’t sound at all like when Mrs. Molina sang it.  
“I felt horrible, but then Julie was mad at me and I was mad at her because I thought she would be on my side. It wasn’t what I wanted either. I just made a mistake. And when I told me dad about it, he just said that it was unfortunate, but it was how the industry worked and we would work to avoid it in the future. When Mrs. Molina asked him to talk to me, to have me apologize for taking her and her daughters work, Dad said no. He took my side. I felt so… validated. I still don’t know why he took my side. Morally, I know I messed up, and he should have known better, even if I didn’t. And then things just escalated, and lawyers almost got involved—thankfully Mr. Molina shut that down—and… here we are. I’m not trying to justify what I did. I just… how do you apologize for something like that?”  
Luke didn’t answer for so long, Carrie wondered if she had scared him off. Finally, he wrote, “Thank you for telling me. I’m not sure. I’m not sure I would forgive someone who did that to me. Luckily, I’m not Julie. Julie is sweet and kind and is willing to give second chances. She apologized to Flynn through song. Maybe that would be a start? Or maybe you should just tell her what you told me. Tell her the truth about how you feel. I need to think about some stuff though. I’m—” The next thing he wrote was illegible. “—Alex is better at this stuff. I’ll get him or Reggie. They’re good with people.”  
“Wait—”  
A faint popping sound as the pen fell to the ground told her Luke was gone. She sighed. What was she doing?  
Write a song, Luke had said. Tell the truth.  
She sighed and tried again. She wrote, “I knew you were better but I had to be best,” then stopped. It was a good line. It fit. She would probably cut it, but getting out some of her feelings might help.  
It wasn’t enough.  
She picked up her notebook and pencil and slipped out of her room. At the end of the hallway, her dad’s lights were still on. She tiptoed downstairs and pulled out the big photo album off the shelf. She flipped through the pictures, letting the memories flash past.  
Her, Julie, and Flynn with ice cream and big smiles. The first time Dirty Candy performed for her dad and the Molinas. Mrs. Molina teaching her and Julie to play piano, with Carlos running around them. Her dad wearing pink glittery make-up that her four-year-old self had applied to all the wrong places, including lipstick on his eyelids. Her at Julie’s tenth birthday party, wearing a party hat and a huge smile. The epic fort she and Julie built once that covered half of the third floor of the Wilson house.  
All these memories. All these things she lost when she lost Julie. She needed to get them back. At the very least, she had to make new memories.  
She put her pen to paper and wrote.  
The tune started to form and she hummed it to herself so that she wouldn’t lose it. Notebook in one arm and photo album in the other, she went to the studio and sat down at the keyboard bench.  
When she finished the first draft of the lyrics, the page was more scribbled ink than it was empty space, but she didn’t let that deter her. Julie was the top priority. She played a few notes, then realized that the tune in her head was guitar. Thankful that her dad had encouraged her to learn multiple instruments, she grabbed the acoustic guitar and played a few notes.  
By the time she was satisfied, the sky was grey with the first rays of dawn. She wasn’t tired, though; she was energized. It had been so long since her songwriting had felt so… real.  
The song wasn’t ready, not yet. It was still just a first draft, and she had no idea if Julie would even accept her apology.  
But it was a start.  
“Hey, baby,” her dad said, poking his head into the studio, “you’re up early. Everything okay?”  
“I’m fine, Dad. I just had to write this down before I lost it.”  
He nodded. Music was definitely something he could understand. “Any ideas for what to do for our Wilson Day today?”  
“I think we should just stay here and… make some music. Just us. No pressure to say one thing or another. No fans hanging on your every word, searching for a hidden meaning where there is none. Just us singing our hearts out, for only us to hear.”  
Her dad smiled and sat down beside her on the bench. “That sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought today was Thursday oops. Also I am much more invested in the Carrie story line and have no idea what to do with the whole Caleb thing. Ideas in the comments please!! Y’all are the best!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to give me ideas in the comments cause I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this. I hope you have a good day :)


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